Andy Boyd thinks he is the luckiest man alive. Widowed with a young child, after his wife dies in childbirth, he is certain that he will never again experience true love. Then he meets Anna. Feisty, fun and beautiful, she’s his perfect match… And she loves his son, too. When Andy ends up in the hospital on his wedding night, he receives his first clue that Anna is not all that she seems. He ignores it; a dangerous mistake that could cost him everything. A brave, deeply moving psychological thriller which marks a stunning departure for one of Scotland’s top crime writers.

My thoughts . . .

Woah! Be still my beating heart! I am hanging my head in shame that this is the first Michael J Malone book I have read but am very grateful to have started here because this book is sensational.

Andy Boyd is one of my favourite characters of the year and Anna, well, she’s just a nasty piece of work who could, in my humble opinion, end up in the running for the Dead Good Readers Dr Lecter Award for Villain of the Year!

What an absolute bitch!

Andy is lovely, a big, strong rugby player, widowed four years ago when his wife died during childbirth, he is now a single father, bank manager and all round great guy. Until one night, his brother drags out for a drink at the club with the lads and he meets Anna. Gorgeous, petite, funny and everything Andy didn’t know he was looking for.

They become inseparable pretty fast and soon enough, it’s their wedding night. A night that ends with a very different kind of bang from the one Andy was expecting.

Written in the first person, Malone weaves us a story so finely told you could be sat next to Andy with a pint, listening to his woes. It is exquisite. It will leave you breathless, but in ways a book has never left you breathless before. You will cry. You might laugh at a few parts. But most of all, you will have your eyes opened to a world that not many talk about.

This is not a fast story, it progresses at a gentle pace and the stories are delicately laid out one by one, before they are perfectly interwoven and the pace picks up, bringing it all crashing down around you in a wave of emotionally charged, breath-taking narrative which is beautifully written.

This is deeply disturbing, dark, domestic noir at it’s absolute best and is an absolute must read.

I’d like to thank the team at Orenda Books for my advanced reader copy.

Michael Malone was born and brought up in the heart of Burns’ country, just a stone’s throw from the great man’s cottage in Ayr. Well, a stone thrown by a catapult, maybe.

He has published over 200 poems in literary magazines throughout the UK, including New Writing Scotland, Poetry Scotland and Markings. His career as a poet has also included a (very) brief stint as the Poet-In-Residence for an adult gift shop. Don’t ask.

BLOOD TEARS, his debut novel won the Pitlochry Prize (judge:Alex Gray) from the Scottish Association of Writers and when it was published he added a “J” to his name to differentiate it from the work of his talented U.S. namesake.